The person who delivers the services at the village level under ICDS programme is-

RUHS, Jaipur, PB B.Sc Nursing Entrance-2024

Community Health Nursing

Easy

Appeared in: RUHS, Jaipur, PB B.Sc Nursing Entrance-2024

Explanation

The Anganwadi Worker (AWW) is the designated frontline functionary under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme.
The ICDS program is specifically designed to be delivered at the village level through Anganwadi Centres, which are managed by AWWs.
The AWW's core responsibilities include providing supplementary nutrition, pre-school education, health check-ups, and referral services to children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers.
This role is distinct from other health workers who operate under different national programs.

Option A: ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) is a functionary under the National Health Mission (NHM), not the ICDS program. Her primary role is community mobilization and acting as a link to health services.
Option C: ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) is a trained health professional posted at the Sub-Centre, which serves a cluster of villages. She provides clinical services and supervises AWWs and ASHAs, rather than being the primary ICDS service provider at a single village's Anganwadi.
Option D: The Village Health Guide scheme was an older initiative that has been largely discontinued by the Government of India. The roles and responsibilities are now primarily handled by ASHAs and AWWs.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Roles and responsibilities of grassroots health workers in India's public health programs as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
For a Community Health Nurse, understanding the distinct roles of AWW, ASHA, and ANM is critical for effective collaboration, supervision, and implementation of national health programs.
Nurses rely on AWWs for nutritional surveillance and mobilizing children for health services, and on ASHAs for community outreach and follow-up.
Misunderstanding these roles can lead to inefficient service delivery and gaps in patient care, especially in maternal and child health.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key terms in the question: 'ICDS programme' and 'village level'.
This is a factual recall question about India's public health system.
Recall the different grassroots health workers and the specific national programs they are associated with.
Associate 'ICDS' directly with the 'Anganwadi Worker' and the Anganwadi Centre.
Differentiate this from 'ASHA', who is linked to the 'National Health Mission (NHM)'.
Eliminate 'ANM' as she is based at a Sub-Centre (a higher level than a single village Anganwadi) and 'Village Health Guide' as it's a discontinued scheme.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Roles and responsibilities of grassroots health workers in India's public health programs.
Stem keywords: ICDS programme, village level, delivers services
Lead-in keywords: is

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E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 2 — Subpart A (pp 1-232 of 464) p. 121-123

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